lovelies, let’s breeze past the fact i’ve been inactive for oodles of time, again.
how has 2014 been treating you so far? i, for one, was very happy leaving 2013 behind me- not that it was all bad, but especially the end sucked, with emergency eye surgery in november and getting robbed on christmas… let’s just say i’m looking forward to 2014 being better :)
speaking of better, and referring back to the title of this post, my new year’s resolution is to get in the best shape i’ve been. i’m aiming for ever, but that might be hard going back to the slimness of my 13 year old self. let’s be realistic here.
i’ve started working towards better physical fitness in april, after some events led to a very minimal consumption of food, and saw me losing 1,5 kgs in a week. no better motivation than that to get started on a healthy clean eating regimen! i’ve modelled my food plan on the paleo diet, with added influences of the dukan diet.
of course, it’s much easier to eat clean in the summer, when salads and light foods are especially appealing, but their winter counterparts are just as delicious!
vegetables of all colors come into play, eaten when possible as raw as you can- the less cooked they are, the better. i’ve omitted sugar and sweetener where i can, it’s taken a few days to get used to it, but now i can’t imagine drinking sweet coffee or tea again. lean red meat, chicken, turkey, tuna and salmon also feature heavily in my new diet, and go splendidly with all the vegetables! i haven’t given up grains, i often eat cereal (muesli) in the morning with low fat yogurt and berries, brown rice, wholegrain pasta, as well as wholegrain rye bread for spreads. but i find myself not really craving bread or carbs in any form in general, and when i do feel like having a sandwich, a tortilla is a great substitute for bread!
my drink of choice is water, or green tea. all day long. sometimes i drink peppermint, or other herbal teas too, but usually it’s green, especially in the mornings. in the evening i’ll sometimes switch the green tea for black, and add some skim milk to it (i often add milk to green tea too, it’s delicious!)
step two of the plan, was exercise. obviously. no way around that. nutrition plays an immense part in getting fit, but you have to get off your ass as well.
i’ve posted about my passion for zumba before, and i still do it once or twice a week, but i’ve added a few other elements to my workout regimen.
for the lovelies that haven’t heard of zumba, here’s a short video of what to expect from a class:
i try to go to the gym 3-4 times a week- sometimes less, sometimes more. when i don’t make it to the gym, i’ll go for a run outdoors; i don’t really like running, but it gets the job done, and is a pretty decent workout. i enjoy working out by myself, but i love the classes. when i do a solo session, i usually use the crosstrainer for 30-45 minutes, and then round it off with free weights, focusing on shoulders, triceps and biceps. i often pack in some squats and crunches too, depending on the workout i’ve done the session before.
the classes i frequent apart from zumba are bodyshape (aerobics-cardio), bbp (which stands for bauch-beine-po, abs-legs-ass, a combination of cardio and resistance exercises), body pump and body balance. the latter two are by les mills, and are freaking awesome!
you can read about body pump here, but it’s basically an intense “resistance workout training focusing on low weight loads and high repetition movements”. it is killer. but the feeling you get after doing it overshadows by far your inability to walk up stairs and lift a teacup the next day. it’s addictive. here’s their promo video, and the second one is what to expect from a class:
body balance is a beautiful beautiful class, which combines the elements of tai-chi, yoga and pilates to give you a well rounded, toning, strengthening and calming work out. i usually take a bodybalance class after one of the tougher sessions, to give myself a deep stretch, and calm down in a powerful way from the intensity of the previous class. here’s what to expect from a bodybalance class:
after almost a year (omg time flies!) of working out regularly and eating clean(er), i’m very happy with the results. i’ve lost 8,5 kgs, my arms, legs, back and abs are way more defined, and i’ve lost two dress sizes. the thing that most amazes me, is how working out has become an integral part of my lifestyle, and i’m so happy about it! it’s not a chore, something that i have to do, it’s something i look forward to doing, i want to! love it.
in conclusion, i don’t want to give the impression that i became a total health nut. puh-lease. i still have pizza, mcdonalds, sweets and pretty much any other thing i want. but the key is in the quantity, timing, and necessity. when i order a pizza, i only eat half of it. the other half goes into the fridge/freezer for some other time. when i eat junk, i try to do it earlier in the day, so that my metabolism is still running high enough to burn it effectively. cookies or chocolate in the evening? sure, but instead of eating 10 cookies, i’ll have 4. instead of three rows of chocolate, i’ll eat one. and it’s enough to still the craving. and of course, i then pack an extra bit of time at the gym to soothe my conscience. annoying little bugger it can be.
i’m curious to know whether any of you have tried or are doing these classes, and what you think of them?
let me know!
before i forget, follow me on instagram for updates!
ciao for now, lovelies
jacket: h&m
brownponytail 